Smokers poll: Is it OK to light up at outdoor SEPTA stations?

NewsWorks reader Julie Foster emailed us this picture of a woman smoking at a SEPTA station — maybe 10 feet away from a NO SMOKING sign. Note also the butt collector, or “smoking pole,” just next to the sign. So, which is it?

NewsWorks reader Julie Foster emailed us this picture of a woman smoking at a SEPTA station — maybe 10 feet away from a NO SMOKING sign. 

Note also the butt collector, or “smoking pole,” just next to the sign. 

So, which is it? To smoke or not to smoke?

What’s your reaction to this image?Tell us in the comments below.

Writes Foster, “In 2010, SEPTA installed no-smoking signs along the bus bays behind 69th Street, where incessant smoking prevented commuters with asthma or allergies from riding. This original “no smoking” message is now undermined by a new smoking pole that appeared right in front of the no-smoking sign, and less than 15 feet away from the main door to the subway.”

SEPTA guidelines include “No smoking on vehicles or at stations,” but it’s not uncommon to see smoking in Center City subway stations. Does permitting smoking, even at outdoor SEPTA stations, violate the rights of riders and SEPTA employees with disabilities who risk a respiratory attack from the presence of smoke nearby?